With the transfer portal set to close May 1, Syracuse’s roster is taking shape heading into the summer. The frontcourt is well-known with the likes of Naheem McLeod, Eddie Lampkin Jr., Chris Bell, Jyare Davis, and Donnie Freeman.
However, the frontcourt has been the recent dilemma that SU has attempted to fix.
Guard Judah Mintz recently declared for the NBA Draft, departing Syracuse after two seasons. Mintz started alongside JJ Starling last year.
The two had their ups and downs in the backcourt, but finished the year strong. Mintz had his best games when he dished the ball out, notably recording a 13-assist game in a Quadir Copeland buzzer-beating win over Miami back in January.
Without Mintz, SU has been searching for a starting guard to put next to Starling.
With the recent addition of guard Jaquon Carlos from Hofstra, there’s hope for consistency in SU’s backcourt, given Carlos’ pass-first abilities. He posted 10.4 points and 6.3 assists per game last year as a junior.
He should provide a sense of stability in the SU backcourt by feeding teammates for open looks on the perimeter, an area where last year’s Notre Dame transfer, Starling, struggled to shoot in the early part of the season. Starling opened last year with a 1-18 mark from three-point range.
Carlos is a true point guard that should be able to operate SU’s offense as needed.
Another guard on Syracuse’s radar was Dakota Leffew, who committed to Georgia today. Leffew, a Mount St. Mary’s transfer, averaged 17.6 points and 3.9 assists per game last year with the Mountaineers.
If Leffew chose Syracuse, it would’ve been a reunion in new colors for Leffew and newly-announced SU assistant coach Dan Engelstad, who had been the head coach at Mount St. Mary’s for the past six years.
After a busy period scouring the transfer portal, and adding head coach Adrian Autry’s new right-hand man, Syracuse’s backcourt is shaping up into a reasonable product heading into the summer.
